Anton Yelchin
| death_place = Studio City, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | death_cause = Blunt traumatic asphyxia | resting_place = Hollywood Forever Cemetery | known_for = Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek film series Eponymous lead in the film Charlie Bartlett | occupation = Actor | years_active = 2000–2016 | height = 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | parents = Irina Korina Viktor Yelchin | website = | education = Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies | relatives = Eugene Yelchin (uncle) }} Anton Viktorovich Yelchin (Russian: Анто́н Ви́кторович Е́льчин, IPA: [ɐnˈton ˈjelʲtɕɪn]; March 11, 1989 – June 19, 2016) was a Russian-American actor. He played Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek films: Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and the posthumously released Star Trek Beyond (2016). Born to a Russian Jewish family in Leningrad, Yelchin and his family moved to the United States when he was a baby. In the late 1990s, Yelchin began appearing in television and film roles. His role in Steven Spielberg's miniseries Taken helped further his career. Yelchin also starred in Huff, the films Fright Night, Hearts in Atlantis, Alpha Dog, Like Crazy, Green Room, and the posthumously released Trollhunters. Career After his film debut in A Man Is Mostly Water, Yelchin's early roles in both film and television included A Time for Dancing, Delivering Milo, House of D and Taken. He guest-starred in the Season Four episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Stewart, Cheryl David's cousin and a self-described magician who knows a card trick. Yelchin played Bobby Garfield in Hearts in Atlantis (2001), which is based on Stephen King's novel. He won a 2002 Young Artist Award (Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actor) for this performance. In Showtime's television series Huff, Yelchin played Byrd Huffstodt, the 14-year-old son of the eponymous character (Hank Azaria). In 2006, he guest-starred in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Tru Love", as a boy who falls in love with his teacher. He also appeared in the Criminal Minds episode "Sex, Birth & Death" as Nathan Harris, a boy who has murderous urges towards prostitutes and approaches Dr. Spencer Reid to help him before he actually does kill. In Alpha Dog, Yelchin played Zack Mazursky, a character based on real-life murder victim Nicholas Markowitz. USA Today s review described Yelchin's performance as "heartbreakingly endearing". After the film's premiere, Markowitz's mother praised his portrayal of her son. Yelchin subsequently headlined Fierce People, which received a limited release on September 7, 2007. In 2008, he played the title role in Charlie Bartlett, a film about a wealthy teenager in a public high school. He also appeared alongside the Russian duo t.A.T.u. in the film You and I (which was filmed in Moscow during the summer of 2007), and co-starred in Middle of Nowhere. Yelchin played supporting roles in two blockbuster films released in May 2009: Star Trek, in which he played teenage navigator Pavel Chekov, and Terminator Salvation, in which he played a young Kyle Reese. In 2011, Yelchin played Charley Brewster in Craig Gillespie's remake film Fright Night, starred in the romantic drama Like Crazy, and voiced Clumsy Smurf in the film adaptation of The Smurfs''and its sequel. He replaced Russell Tovey for the voice role of Albino Pirate in the American version of the animated film ''The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (also known as The Pirates! Band of Misfits) (2012). Yelchin voiced Shun in Studio Ghibli's From Up on Poppy Hill. Yelchin again played the role of Chekov in the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkness. He also played the lead in the thriller Odd Thomas (2013) and the horror comedy Burying the Ex (2014). In 2015, Yelchin starred in the independent horror film Green Room, which premiered at the Cannes film festival that year and received limited theatrical release in May 2016. Shortly before his death, Yelchin reprised his role as Chekov in Star Trek Beyond, which was released on July 22, 2016. He completed filming several independent films which were released posthumously. Yelchin also recorded the voice role of Jim in Guillermo del Toro's Trollhunters. Death On 19 June 2016, Yelchin was discovered between his Jeep Grand Cherokee and a brick pillar outside his home in Studio City, California, in what was described as a "freak accident". After Yelchin exited his car, the vehicle rolled back down his driveway (which is on a steep incline) and trapped him against the pillar and a security fence. He was pronounced dead later that day. The Los Angeles County coroner's office identified the cause of death as "blunt traumatic asphyxia" and stated that there were "no obvious suspicious circumstances involved". Tributes Following Yelchin's death, the producers of Star Trek stated that the role of Chekov would not be recast and that the character would be written out of any subsequent Star Trek films. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Yelchin and Leonard Nimoy, who had also died between the release of Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. Smurfs: The Lost Village was dedicated to Yelchin, as he had provided the voice of Clumsy Smurf in the live-action Smurfs films. Additionally, We Don't Belong Here, Rememory, Porto, Newness, Thoroughbreds, Mary Poppins Returns, and the first two episodes of Trollhunters are dedicated to him, with the entirety of the series being dedicated to him upon its conclusion in May 2018. Yelchin was also featured in the "In Memoriam" section during the 89th Academy Awards. In October 2017, a bronze statue of Yelchin was erected at his grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Celebrities present at the unveiling ceremony included Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, J. J. Abrams, Emile Hirsch, Demi Moore, Jon Voight, Drake Doremus and Jeremy Saulnier. Saldana spoke at the ceremony, paying tribute to Yelchin: "It is a bittersweet moment, because we're here for Anton, and he's not here with us. But, it alleviates my heart knowing that we'll keep him alive. We're going to keep remembering him in the hopes that by practicing all the things he believed in and remembering all the love that he gave us, and all the joy he gave us, we're able to just keep him here with us." Lawsuit Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the manufacturer of the Grand Cherokee, was aware of 2014 and 2015 models having a high rate of rollaway incidents due to a gearshift design which could make it difficult for the driver to determine whether the vehicle was in park or still in gear. FCA had already recalled all 2014-15 Grand Cherokees for this concern in April 2016, but the software patch to repair the vehicles did not reach dealers until the week of Yelchin's death. Following his death, FCA accelerated the recall campaign and took steps to get the affected Jeeps repaired more quickly than originally planned. On 1 August 2016, the attorney for Yelchin's parents announced that they were planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler. The dealership that Yelchin purchased the vehicle from claimed he was responsible for his own death, because he had "misused" and "modified" the vehicle. The dealer also asked to be removed from the lawsuit. On 22 March 2018, it was announced that Yelchin's family and Fiat Chrysler had confidentially settled the lawsuit. Filmography Film Television Video games Accolades References Category:American actors Category:1989 births Category:1980s births Category:2016 deaths Category:Actors Category:Russian-American actors